A Smoke-Free Future? Philip Morris Calls For a Ban On Cigarettes

Philip Morris CEO Jacek Olczak has called on the UK government to ban cigarettes within a decade. 

Currently, the tobacco giant makes and sells Marlboro cigarettes. Why would they want a ban on cigarettes, you ask? Well, it’s true that the company itself would stop selling cigarettes completely. This is simply the company’s way of responding to consumers who are shifting away from smoking tobacco products. Instead, they are betting on smoke-free alternatives, such as e-cigarettes for growth. 

The plan is to stop selling cigarettes in the UK within a decade. “The sooner it happens, the better it is for everyone,” Jacek Olczak told The Mail. In fact, according to The Insider, Philip Morris’ smoke-free products accounted for nearly 30% of its sales in the second quarter of the year. By 2025, it plans to bring this up to 50% of sales.

These smoke-free products include different types of e-cigarettes, which do not burn tobacco but rather heat it. Since the tobacco doesn’t burn, it’s said that these alternatives contain much lower quantities of potentially harmful chemicals. 

“Quitting is the best option, but for those who don’t, science and technology has allowed companies like ours to create better alternatives to continued smoking,” Dr. Moira Gilchrist, head of global scientific communications at Philip Morris, said in a statement to Insider. “Encouraging people who don’t quit to switch to these better alternatives, together with strong regulation will help solve the problem of cigarette smoking once and for all.”